To kvinder slås om en mand 1907

Oluf Hartmann made this small etching, "To kvinder slås om en mand", which translates as "Two women fight over a man," at the beginning of the 20th century. The stark contrast of black ink on paper creates a dramatic scene; the figures are roughly rendered, their forms emerging from the darkness. I imagine Hartmann hunched over the plate, scratching away at the surface with fierce energy, maybe fuelled by his own romantic entanglements? The lines are so raw and urgent, like he’s trying to capture the primal energy of the fight itself. The texture is rough, almost violent, mirroring the struggle depicted. It reminds me a little of Goya, who also wasn't afraid to show the darker side of humanity. It feels like he wasn’t interested in prettifying the scene or moralizing. He just wanted to capture the messy, visceral reality of human desire and conflict. And that's what makes it so compelling, even now. It's like he's saying, "Look at this, this is what we're capable of." Artists, you know, we are always having a conversation, responding to each other across time.